The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

"Pearson plots resourcefully, and the complications are intelligently varied. The action is so nonstop, however, that long before the end, many readers will feel as exhausted, if nowhere near as battered, as Grace and Knox."

Now that they've established their credentials in Shanghai (The Risk Agent, 2012, etc.), John Knox and Grace Chu, of Rutherford Risk, go up against a coldblooded sweatshop owner in Amsterdam.
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If you have the right incentives, dollars in the billions can be made in Shanghai, where capitalism wrestles with communism. So says Pearson (In Harm's Way, 2010, etc.) in this first in a new series of thrillers.
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"Barry and Pearson effectively pull off the difficult trick of penning a stand-alone title that fans will adore while simultaneously causing newbies to flock back to their previous joint works—pretty nifty, that. (Fantasy. 10 & up)"

Pearson's (Killer Summer, 2009, etc.) Sun Valley sheriff Walt Fleming tries to sort out his knotty personal life as he hunts for a killer, with a little help from Seattle cop Lou Boldt, another Pearson character.
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Pearson's second solo outing for young audiences resembles his adult thrillers—sans all of the sex and most of the violence—even featuring Federal Agent Roland Larson from Cut and Run (2005) in a supporting role.
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"Kudos to Barry and Pearson for a funny, clever, melodramatic romp. (Fantasy. 11-13)"

In this double-stranded, nearly nonstop close to the Starcatchers trilogy (at least its direct line; the authors are also producing spin-offs), peaceful Mollusk Island is overrun by savage invaders, while Peter, acerbic Tinkerbell and the Starcatchers are away in the North African land of Rundoon battling the darkness-loving Others.
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"Though the adventure makes cunning use of Disney's mythos—a scene in which the 'It's a Small World' dolls attack the adventurers while singing their famous song is chilling—flat characters and an anticlimactic finale detract from the cleverness. (Fantasy. 11-13)"

When Finn is selected as the model for a holographic guide in the Magic Kingdom, he never imagines it will pit him against the evil forces plotting to destroy Disney World.
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"Breathlessly exciting stuff, though impossible to follow in any detail either as it's going down or after it's over."

A massive, long-dormant case of embezzlement bobs to the surface, spelling trouble for Seattle Lt. Lou Boldt (The Art of Deception, 2002, etc.) and his banker wife and nonstop suspense for their fans.
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"Reliable thrills from a pro, though only about half of Pearson's usual 12 cylinders are firing this time out. (Literary Guild/Mystery Guild selection; first printing of 125,000; $300,000)"

No, it's not murder this time—just a series of violent robberies: only the first sign that master-plotter Pearson (The First Victim, 1999, etc.) has taken some of his accustomed edge off Lt. Lou Boldt's latest case.
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"Not even Pearson's niftiest action sequences can make up for the ho-hum forensics, the colorless villain, and the absence of any real urgency in the rescue. The master of the big-league police thriller has struck out in his own park. ($250,000 ad/promo; author tour)"

The smuggling of illegal aliens may be big business, but it makes for a surprisingly flat thriller for Seattle Police Lt. Lou Boldt (The Pied Piper, 1998, etc.).
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Seattle cop Lou Boldt's been promoted to Lieutenant and shifted from Homicide to Intelligence—but all the changes don't protect him from the most painfully intimate contact with a kidnapper of small children.
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"But it's the richness of incident and the control of pace that'll keep them dangling as he switches gears each time you think the story's got to be winding down in this exhilarating entertainment. (Author tour)"

"Band-Aids emit low-level radioactivity from being sterilized): a top-flight offering from an author who's clearly found his groove."

Potent blend of medical thriller and police procedural that resurrects the cop-hero of Pearson's Undercurrents (1988) and pits him against—of all things—a maniacal veterinarian.
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"Not as psychologically probing as Undercurrents, and hampered by the far-fetched premise, but, overall, a well-oiled thriller with every gear smoothly spinning at top speed."

Coming back strong from last year's ragged Probable Cause, Pearson turns in a tale of international terrorism that offers the sort of breakneck action, mature characterization, and tight forensic detail that made Undercurrents (1988) a police-procedural classic.
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